Report 2012-044 Recommendation 17 Responses

Report 2012-044: California Department of Education: Despite Some Improvements, Oversight of the Migrant Education Program Remains Inadequate (Release Date: February 2013)

Recommendation #17 To: Education, Department of

To ensure that it receives a report from the state parent council, Education should continue to provide the necessary training to the council regarding the report and ensure that the council report appears on the agenda for state parent council meetings.

6-Month Agency Response

Prior to the CSA's audit, Education has provided training to the council on preparing and submitting state parent council reports; Education will continue to provide necessary training and guidance.

Education supported the SPAC membership in the writing of the 2012-13 report by utilizing SPAC member surveys and statewide parent conference surveys to give context to the document. The data was analyzed, summarized, and provided to the SPAC members for sharing with their regional councils and for obtaining additional feedback. A report update and additional survey data were mailed to the SPAC members on May 31, 2013. In an effort to encourage and increase the feedback and information from all migrant parents, Education provided a self-addressed stamped envelope to facilitate the mailing back of any additional information from each of the region's migrant parents.

Education facilitated the completion of the report at the regularly scheduled SPAC meeting on July 13, 2013, at which time the SPAC membership provided its recommendations and concluding statement. Education is finalizing the structure and format of the document in order to move it forward for approval. Additionally, Education has presented the SPAC membership with a proposed schedule for the regularly scheduled meetings. The schedule includes information pertaining to Education/MEP components to facilitate the evaluation of programs and begin the process of writing the 2013-14 report. It is expected that the program evaluation and report writing process will regularly appear on the agenda for state parent council meetings.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented

60-Day Agency Response

The data being compiled for the fiscal year 2012-13 annual report comes from two sources: (1) SPAC member surveys; and (2) statewide parent conference surveys.

Education is analyzing SPAC member survey data to assist in the completion of the current and future reports. Education has provided a summary of the members' survey responses related to parent involvement and program improvement to SPAC members and to the region directors. The summary was mailed to the address on file for each SPAC member on April 8, 2013, and was e-mailed to the directors on April 11, 2013.

Education received approximately 350 valid survey responses from the March 2013 statewide parent conference. Data collected in this survey includes MEP services received and uses a three-point scale to rate the quality of the services. Education shared the conference survey responses with the SPAC members at the May 4, 2013, meeting.

Collectively, the data from each of the above two sources will provide the necessary information to complete the annual report. The 2012-13 SPAC report is on schedule for completion by June 14, 2013.

Moving forward, Education will continue to engage with and obtain feedback from SPAC members and provide the necessary training to support their efforts in completing future annual reports. Education will ensure that the SPAC report regularly appears on the agenda for state parent council meetings. Education is committed to the collaboration with parents in support of their efforts to improve the educational outcomes of all migrant students.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2012-044

Agency responses received after June 2013 are posted verbatim.